REVIEW: Theis IWB Holster for M&P Shield

This is a discussion on REVIEW: Theis IWB Holster for M&P Shield within the Defensive Carry Holsters & Carry Options forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; As stated in the title, this will be my review of my Theis IWB Holster courtesy of Theisholsters.com | Home | Custom IWB Holsters . ...

REVIEW: Theis IWB Holster for M&P Shield

As stated in the title, this will be my review of my Theis IWB Holster courtesy of Theisholsters.com | Home | Custom IWB Holsters. There will also be some sort-of comparison to the well-known Crossbreed Supertuck, since I also own one of those and it is the same style of holster (hybrid leather/kydex IWB.)

- Initial Impressions
Before getting to the actual unboxing of the holster, I have to touch on the subject of customer service. Do some searching on the Internet about Tommy Theis and his holsters and you will undoubtedly hear about his fantastic customer service. I sent him an e-mail with some questions I had an the first reply came 15 minutes later from his cell phone. Amazing speed. The longest he ever took to get back to me was a few hours. He runs a one-man operation making these holsters for customers and it's amazing that he can address customer e-mails that quickly. Rest assured: the rumors you've heard about Mr. Theis' customer service are true. Mr. Theis will also custom make any holsters, so if you have extra needs like a holster for a gun with a mounted light (or even a IWB holster for a Desert Eagle...I've seen the picture of one he made) then feel free to shoot him an e-mail.

Upon first opening the package, I can see that this was a quality piece. It's not some hack job holster thrown together, it's a quality piece. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Included in the package were some business cards that you can distribute. All of his holsters come with a "combat cut," and I chose to go with horsehide and the Kydex clips. I opted for the Kydex clips because they lay flat at the bottom instead of having a metal tab that moves outward away from the belt.

When I put my Shield in the holster, the first thing I noticed was the retention. Out of the box, this thing has MAJOR retention. Loads more than the Crossbreed did at first. This caused some problems with drawing the first few days, but eventually it's worn into a good, snug fit that draws easy.

I included the above profile shot to show how thin the gun and holster are. This is the reason I like the two-clip designs. Since I am prioritizing thin-ness by going with the Shield, I thought it would be a bad idea to get a single-clip holster that puts the clip right at the thickest part of the whole setup. That being said, I've used single-clip setups with the shield and it wasn't bad, just not what I prefer.

When I first put on the holster, it was very comfortable and held the gun well. I could not tell a different between this and my Crossbreed Supertuck as far as initial feel on my hip. With this setup in place, I began my testing and daily carry.

- Final Impressions
I've worn the Thies holster for about a month of daily carry use, and I'm happy to report it's been absolutely fantastic. It took a while to set the cant and height just right for me, but once I got it dialed in it's all gravy from there. The clips have held up to my daily use well. I say "my daily use" because I don't kick doors down, do tactical room clearing, or roll around on the ground shooting from the supine position. I've carried it around the house, to the mall, while driving up to an hour at a time, and the combination of this holster and the M&P Shield is great. I'm going to use very cliche phrases by saying, "You forget it's there" and "It carries so well it just disappears" because they apply here. Here's a picture of where I carry and how the holster has formed to my hip.

I carry at about the 8oclock position, with the maximum forward cant. This is because I ran into some problems with getting my fat fingers around the grip without bumping into my belt with anything less than the max forward cant. It still draws well from this position. I tucked my shirt in for the picture so you could see how I carried it. I took a picture with the shirt untucked but you couldn't see anything there!

- Conclusion
I love this holster. I was looking to an alternative to the Crossbreed Supertuck that didn't take a month or more to get made and delivered. I realize that the reason it may take a while is because I'm left handed, and they probably don't have many extras of those laying around. The point of the comparisons to the Crossbreed are that this holster has done everything my Crossbreed has, but at a much cheaper price. I will break it down here:

(Note: above prices are based off ordering directly from the website, something I have to do because no local stores stock left hand holsters. I also recognize that wait times will vary depending on supply of holsters and demand for them. These are just from my personal experience.)

As you can see from the breakdown and the review, for me, the Theis holster has done everything the Crossbreed has done at a MUCH cheaper cost with the added bonus of kydex clips and a shorter wait time. It is for this reason that I now recommend Theis Holsters over Crossbreed Holsters.

Thank you for reading my review, it was my first gear review. As always, everything above is my own opinion - feel free to chime in if you have a differing one. I love my Crossbreed because it lets me carry a full size gun well, but I also love the Theis Holster for the reasons above. I am also working on a review for the Dale Fricke horizontal mag pouch - coming soon. Any questions please feel free to ask.

Just some observations....nice looking rig. Although it seems to me it presses against your mag release and it seems to be molded to thigh against your trigger.....actually pressing against your trigger.

Just some observations....nice looking rig. Although it seems to me it presses against your mag release and it seems to be molded to thigh against your trigger.....actually pressing against your trigger.

I see what you're saying - the kydex does cover a small portion of the mag release, but it is raised in that area. In my month + of carrying it in various situations, it has never activated the mag release and I've never drawn a gun with the mag falling out. But, if this is a concern of yours, I have no doubt that a request to get the kydex trimmed around the mag release would be no problem for Mr. Theis.

As far as the kydex indent in the trigger area - that is one of the points of retention, and the indent may look like it is pressing the trigger but it is not. It just hangs onto the front part of the trigger guard to provide some retention. When I first got the holster, I unloaded my gun and test fitted it in the holster, and it did not set off the trigger. I am confident in this design, and it has never given me any worries about pressing the trigger. Like the issue with the mag release, I'm sure a quick e-mail to Mr. Theis could clear up his design better than I have if you are still worried.

I see what you're saying - the kydex does cover a small portion of the mag release, but it is raised in that area. In my month + of carrying it in various situations, it has never activated the mag release and I've never drawn a gun with the mag falling out. But, if this is a concern of yours, I have no doubt that a request to get the kydex trimmed around the mag release would be no problem for Mr. Theis.

As far as the kydex indent in the trigger area - that is one of the points of retention, and the indent may look like it is pressing the trigger but it is not. It just hangs onto the front part of the trigger guard to provide some retention. When I first got the holster, I unloaded my gun and test fitted it in the holster, and it did not set off the trigger. I am confident in this design, and it has never given me any worries about pressing the trigger. Like the issue with the mag release, I'm sure a quick e-mail to Mr. Theis could clear up his design better than I have if you are still worried.

Thanks for the feedback!

Glad its working for you....Here is a rig similar to yours that I made a couple of weeks ago for less than $10.00 bucks. It's based on the Crossbreed style..but with some minor changes to suit my personal needs and preferences.IMAG033544.jpg

Just some observations....nice looking rig. Although it seems to me it presses against your mag release and it seems to be molded to thigh against your trigger.....actually pressing against your trigger.

Just so you know the indent is not pressing on the trigger but adding some great retention. Also I cover that mag release for a reason so in don't get bumped and released.you cant do it on all guns but on the one I can I cover the with just enough kydex to cover them as a safety feature. give it a try on your next holster and you will see what I mean, there is no way to accidentally release that mag. hope that tip helps in your holster building.

Just so you know the indent is not pressing on the trigger but adding some great retention. Also I cover that mag release for a reason so in don't get bumped and released.you cant do it on all guns but on the one I can I cover the with just enough kydex to cover them as a safety feature. give it a try on your next holster and you will see what I mean, there is no way to accidentally release that mag. hope that tip helps in your holster building.

Despite all the glowing reviews about crossbreed I could not bring myself to wait a whole 4-8wks for a holster, that's why I went with comptac. Now two weeks is something I can do and will definitely take a look at Theis.

Bought one for my G38 last month. I think it took about ten days from order to arrival. I was a little freaked out at first at to how hard it was to insert the gun and draw, and sent Mr Theis an email about it. Only then did I really read his 'order completed/shipping' email that said to draw the gun twenty-thirty times for it to break in. It was fairly late(his time)when he called up and left a message, and we spoke the next day. He gave me a tip of rotating the gun slightly, and that worked out fine.

While I don't think I could ever say I forget that I'm wearing it(my midsection is starting the 'Dunlop' thing with great enthusiasm), I do certainly know when I'm not wearing it-I feel nekkid!

....(my midsection is starting the 'Dunlop' thing with great enthusiasm), I do certainly know when I'm not wearing it-I feel nekkid!

I'll spare you the pictures.

hey me too! it's called a FRS (Flab Retention System). made from processed cheese and twinkies.

to the OP;

does yours creek or squeak at all? A friend of mine has a supertuck that sounds like the vinyl in my grandad's Ford Galaxy when he walks into a quiet room.

and i see you opted for the full kydex instead of the standard that leaves the front sight uncovered. I struggled with that choice when I ordered a Theis for my G26. I think I read on his website that the extra kydex sometimes doesn't let the leather form to your body as well or something. Please let me know if you develope any issues with that because I may give it a try for a P229 soon. I've been borrowing my friends Theis for my G26 and his covers the end of the slide as well. No problems that I can see. I finally ordered my own horse hide with kydex clips and the shorter kydex a couple weeks ago (friend is coming home from over seas and I expect he'll want it back for his G27). i can't wait to get it.

Despite all the glowing reviews about crossbreed I could not bring myself to wait a whole 4-8wks for a holster, that's why I went with comptac. Now two weeks is something I can do and will definitely take a look at Theis.

Crossbreed does make a good holster, but after having gone through the ordering process and having carried both the Crossbreed and the Theis holster for some time I have to say Theis makes a holster just as good as Crossbreed for less price, quicker, and with better customer communication. Remember, these points are from my own experience and based on ordering online.

Originally Posted by yz9890

hey me too! it's called a FRS (Flab Retention System). made from processed cheese and twinkies.

to the OP;

does yours creek or squeak at all? A friend of mine has a supertuck that sounds like the vinyl in my grandad's Ford Galaxy when he walks into a quiet room.

and i see you opted for the full kydex instead of the standard that leaves the front sight uncovered. I struggled with that choice when I ordered a Theis for my G26. I think I read on his website that the extra kydex sometimes doesn't let the leather form to your body as well or something. Please let me know if you develope any issues with that because I may give it a try for a P229 soon. I've been borrowing my friends Theis for my G26 and his covers the end of the slide as well. No problems that I can see. I finally ordered my own horse hide with kydex clips and the shorter kydex a couple weeks ago (friend is coming home from over seas and I expect he'll want it back for his G27). i can't wait to get it.

The holster squeaked at first, as did my Crossbreed, but it has gone away with time. If you want to get rid of the squeaking sooner, Mr. Theis includes some instructions in an e-mail about what types of things you can apply to the leather to help alleviate the squeaking. It didn't bother me at all when I got the holster so it's not a problem now.

And I ordered the standard muzzle coverage, not the full muzzle coverage. Maybe it covers the front sight because the Shield is a smaller pistol? Whatever the case, it isn't a problem, and as you can see by my pictures the holster had no problems conforming to me. I have no noticed any issues with the kydex affecting the holster's fit.